Mongolian Medicine Areca Thirteen Pill (GY-13) Improved Depressive Syndrome via upregulating cAMP/PKA/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Areca Thirteen Pill, also called Gao You-13 (GY-13), is a traditional Mongolian herbal formula and has been extensively used to treat depression in Mongolian areas, which belongs to Heyi disease in Mongolian medicine. Major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric disease, only one-third of individuals with depression are responsive to current antidepressants in clinic. Growing attention has been attracted by traditional herbal medicines in fighting depression because they are considered safer alternatives to pharmacotherapy.

Folium Sennae and emodin reverse airway smooth muscle contraction.

The objective of this project was to find a bronchodilatory compound from herbs and clarify the mechanism. We found that the ethanol extract of Folium Sennae (EEFS) can relax airway smooth muscle (ASM). EEFS inhibited ASM contraction, induced by acetylcholine, in mouse tracheal rings and lung slices.

Paracetamol inhibits Ca permeant ion channels and Ca sensitization resulting in relaxation of precontracted airway smooth muscle.

The purpose of this study was to screen a bronchodilator from old drugs and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug. It has been reported that it inhibits the generation of prostaglandin and histamine, which play roles in asthma.

NS8593 inhibits Ca permeant channels reversing mouse airway smooth muscle contraction.

Aims: This study focused on investigating whether NS8593 reverses airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction and the underlying mechanism.

Main Methods: ASM contraction in mouse tracheal rings and lung slices was measured. Currents mediated by voltage dependent Ca channels (VDCCs) and ACH-activated channels were measured using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in single tracheal smooth muscle cells (TSMCs).

[Characteristics of soil greenhouse gas flux and its driving factors in Horqin sand dune-mea-dow wetland cascade ecosystems.].

Using the static chamber-GC technique, greenhouse gas (CO, CH, NO) fluxes of sand dunes and meadow wetlands were measured in a typical sand dune-meadow cascade ecological zone of Horqin. The dynamics of the greenhouse gas fluxes and driving factors were analyzed. The results showed that soil CH flux underwent absorption during the growing season, with average CH fluxes of semi-mobile dunes and meadow wetlands were -52.

Azithromycin inhibits muscarinic 2 receptor-activated and voltage-activated Ca permeant ion channels and Ca sensitization, relaxing airway smooth muscle contraction.

Azithromycin (AZM) has been used for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, the effects and underlying mechanisms of AZM remain largely unknown. The effects of AZM on airway smooth muscles (ASMs) and the underlying mechanisms were studied using isometric muscle force measurements, the examination of lung slices, imaging, and patch-clamp techniques. AZM completely inhibited acetylcholine (ACH)-induced precontraction of ASMs in animals (mice, guinea pigs, and rabbits) and humans.

Extract Inhibits Contraction of Airway Smooth Muscle.

β-adrenoceptor agonists are commonly used as bronchodilators to treat obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), however, they induce severe side effects. Therefore, developing new bronchodilators is essential. Herbal plants were extracted and the extracts' effect on airway smooth muscle (ASM) precontraction was assessed.

Sweroside Alleviated Aconitine-Induced Cardiac Toxicity in H9c2 Cardiomyoblast Cell Line.

Aconitine is the main bioactive ingredient of Aconitum plants, which are well-known botanical herbs in China. Aconitine is also notorious for its high cardiotoxicity, as it can induce life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Unfortunately, there are few effective antidotes to aconitine toxicity.

Polygonum aviculare L. extract and quercetin attenuate contraction in airway smooth muscle.

Because of the serious side effects of the currently used bronchodilators, new compounds with similar functions must be developed. We screened several herbs and found that Polygonum aviculare L. contains ingredients that inhibit the precontraction of mouse and human airway smooth muscle (ASM).

Chloroform Extract of L. Relaxes Mouse Airway Smooth Muscle.

L. belongs to the Asteraceae family, which is indigenous to China. It has valuable pharmacological properties, such as antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.

Distinct Effects of Ca Sparks on Cerebral Artery and Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Tone in Mice and Humans.

The effects of Ca sparks on cerebral artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs) and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) tone, as well as the underlying mechanisms, are not clear. In this investigation, we elucidated the underlying mechanisms of the distinct effects of Ca sparks on cerebral artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs) and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) tone. In CASMCs, owing to the functional loss of Ca-activated Cl (Clca) channels, Ca sparks activated large-conductance Ca-activated K channels (BKs), resulting in a decreases in tone against a spontaneous depolarization-caused high tone in the resting state.

Nuciferine Relaxes Tracheal Rings via the Blockade of VDLCC and NSCC Channels.

This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of nuciferine (a main aporphine alkaloid of lotus leaf extract), which can induce relaxation in contracted tracheal rings. Under Ca-free and 2 mM Ca conditions, we found that nuciferine had no effect on the resting muscle tone of tracheal rings. In contrast, nuciferine relaxed high K-contracted mouse tracheal rings in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited both Ca influx and voltage-dependent L-type Ca channel currents induced by high K.

Hypertonic saline inhibits airway smooth muscle contraction by inhibiting Ca sensitization.

The effects of hypertonic solution on airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction and the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We found that hypertonic saline (HS) inhibited acetylcholine (ACh)-induced contraction of ASM from the mouse trachea and human bronchi. In single mouse ASM cells (ASMCs), ACh induced an increase in intracellular Ca that was further enhanced by 5% NaCl, indicating that the HS-induced inhibition of ASM contraction was not mediated by a decrease in cytosolic Ca .

The water extract of Veratrilla baillonii could attenuate the subacute toxicity induced by Aconitum brachypodum.

Background: Aconitum brachypodum Diels (Family Ranunculaceae) is a Chinese ethnodrug and is well known for both its therapeutic application and high toxicity. However, no detoxication strategy is available for the complete elimination of the toxicity of Aconitum plants. Veratrilla baillonii Franch is believed to possess antitoxic effects on the toxicity induced by Aconitum plants and has been clinically used for hundreds of time by Naxi and Lisu nationalities in Yunnan Province of China.

Mice lacking myotubularin-related protein 14 show accelerated high-fat diet-induced lipid accumulation and inflammation.

The phosphoinositide phosphatase, myotubularin-related protein 14 (MTMR14), has been reported to play an important role in the regulation of muscle performance, autophagy, and aging in mice. We previously showed that MTMR14-knockout (KO) mice gain weight earlier than their wild-type (WT) littermates even on a normal chow diet (NCD), suggesting that this gene might also be involved in regulating metabolism. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of MTMR14 deficiency on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, lipid accumulation, metabolic disorders, and inflammation in WT and MTMR14-KO mice fed with NCD or HFD.

Involvement of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels in chloroquine-induced force alterations in pre-contracted airway smooth muscle.

The participation of large-conductance Ca2+ activated K+ channels (BKs) in chloroquine (chloro)-induced relaxation of precontracted airway smooth muscle (ASM) is currently undefined. In this study we found that iberiotoxin (IbTx, a selective inhibitor of BKs) and chloro both completely blocked spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) in single mouse tracheal smooth muscle cells, which suggests that chloro might block BKs. We further found that chloro inhibited Ca2+ sparks and caffeine-induced global Ca2+ increases.

Premature senescence and cellular phenotype transformation of mesangial cells induced by TGF-B1.

Background: Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a polypeptide member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily of cytokines and performs many cellular functions. Its overexpression may lead to renal fibrosis.

Aim: This study planed to investigate the effects of TGF-β1 on the cell cycle and phenotype of mesangial cells.

Uremic anorexia and gastrointestinal motility dysfunction correlate with the changes of ghrelin system in hypothalamus.

Aim: Ghrelin can act as a signal for meal initiation and play a role in the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) motility via hypothalamic circuit. This study investigated the correlation between changes of hypothalamic ghrelin system and GI motility dysfunction and anorexia in rats with chronic renal failure (CRF).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (male/female 1:1, 180 ± 20 g) were randomly classified into a CRF group and control group (n = 8 per group).

Uremic anorexia and ghrelin expression in the amygdala.

Background/aims: Ghrelin can act as a signal for mealtime hunger and meal initiation. Amygdala is indispensable in appetitive behavior motivated by learned emotions. This study was to investigate the alteration of ghrelin in the amygdala of rats with chronic renal failure (CRF) and its relation with uremic anorexia.

Chronic renal failure impacts the expression of ghrelin and its receptor in hypothalamus and hippocampus.

Background/aims: Ghrelin plays a central role in the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) motility. This study aimed to investigate the expression of ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) in the central nervous system of rats with chronic renal failure (CRF).

Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 180 ± 20 g, n = 24) were treated by 5/6 nephrectomy to construct CRF model.

[Activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 inhibits RhoA/Rho kinase and improves vasorelaxation dysfunction mediated by high-fat diet in mice].

Objective: To investigate the role of dietary capsaicin in activating transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and thus influencing the vascular dysfunction mediated by high-fat diet and the potential mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 80 male C57BL/6J mice aged 10 weeks were equally divided into four groups, in which the mice were fed with normal diet (ND), normal diet plus capsaicin (NC), high-fat diet (HD), or high-fat diet plus capsaicin (HC) for 20 weeks. Tail-cuff blood pressure (BP), vascular function of mice aortic rings, expressions of voltage-gated potassium-channel Kv1.

17-Beta-estradiol enhanced allodynia of inflammatory temporomandibular joint through upregulation of hippocampal TRPV1 in ovariectomized rats.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) predominantly affect reproductive female patients, with pain the most frequent complaint. Although estrogens are believed to play important roles in TMD pain, the mechanism underlying modulation of TMD pain by estrogens remains largely unknown. Accumulating evidence implies that the hippocampus is involved in sexual dimorphism of pain sensitivity.

Activation of phosphatidylinositol-linked novel D1 dopamine receptors inhibits high-voltage-activated Ca2+ currents in primary cultured striatal neurons.

Recent evidences indicate the existence of a putative novel phosphatidylinositol (PI)-linked D(1) dopamine receptor that mediates excellent anti-Parkinsonian but less severe dyskinesia action. To further understand the basic physiological function of this receptor in brain, the effects of a PI-linked D(1) dopamine receptor-selective agonist 6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-3-methyl-1-(3-methylphenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine (SKF83959) on high-voltage activated (HVA) Ca(2+) currents in primary cultured striatal neurons were investigated by whole cell patch-clamp technique. The results indicated that stimulation by SKF83959 induced an inhibition of HVA Ca(2+) currents in a dose-dependent manner in substance-P (SP)-immunoreactive striatal neurons.

Activation of phosphatidylinositol-linked novel D1 dopamine receptor contributes to the calcium mobilization in cultured rat prefrontal cortical astrocytes.

Recent evidences indicate the existence of an atypical D(1) dopamine receptor other than traditional D(1) dopamine receptor in the brain that mediates PI hydrolysis via activation of phospholipase C(beta) (PLC(beta)). To further understand the basic physiological function of this receptor in brain, the effects of a selective phosphoinositide (PI)-linked D(1) dopamine receptor agonist SKF83959 on cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in cultured rat prefrontal cortical astrocytes were investigated by calcium imaging. The results indicated that SKF83959 caused a transient dose-dependent increase in [Ca(2+)](i).